Xbed-bottom



(Model.) I l A. H. FRST.

BED BOTTOM.

No. 255,613. Patented Mar. 28,1882

till

'l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

ABEL H. FROST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

-BED-BOTTOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.` 255,613, dated March28, 1882. Application tiled April 16, 1880. Renewed March 6,1882.(Model.)

To all whom it Amay concern Be it known that I, ABEL H. Fitos'r, ofChicago, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bed- Botton'ls; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a. full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanyingdrau ings, and to he letters of relerencemarked fhereon, which forln a part of this specification. i

i nis invention relates to frames for bed-bottoms ofthe class in whichthe frame supports a fabric stretched from end to end thereof.

It consists, first, in making the end rails of the frame of bent wood;second, in the combination, with thev bentwood end rails, of an inleriortruss; and, third, in the combination of parallel side rails withbentwood end rails extended into the planes of and higher than the siderails.

The objects of the invention are to materially lighten and cheapen theframe; to increase its strength; to facilitate handling of theft-ame byreason of its rounded corners, by which it may be readily rolled uponits edge, and also, as a result of this rounded form, to adapt the frameto fit any ordinary construction of bedstead.

Inthe drawings, Figure l is a perspective of the frame provided with awoven-wire fabric, partly removed to better show the construction of theframe. Fig 2 is a side elevation of the frame supporting a woven 2 wirefabric.

A A are the end rails, and B B are the side rails, ofthe frame.

G is the fabric, of woven wire or other material, secured to the endrails. Said end rails are of bent wood, straight, or nearly so, in theircentral portieri, and turned attheir ends into the planes of the siderails. B. Viewed vertically the latter are straight, and are fastenedeither rigidly or movably to the under surface ofthe end rails, asshown, to give suitable elevation to the latter for the proper supportof the fabric C above the side rails.

D D are thin cleats of wood or metal applied to cover the raw edge ofthe fabric after it has been .sl-cured to the end rail.

E E are metal truss-rods, reaching from side to side of the frame atpoints in or near the curves of the bent-wood end rails; and F F arestruts set to bear between the truss-rods and end rails. These strutsarepreferably extensible by being let deeplyinto the end rails, andprovided with the nuts a n, by turning which the end rails may be sprungoutward centrally to increase the tension upon the fabric when required.Heretofore such variation ot' the tension of the fabric has beeninvariably effected by sliding the end rail bodily outward upon vtheside rails by means of adjusting-screws located at or near the junctionof the end and side rails. This Inode is defective, however, for thetwofold reason that the end railhowever rigid, will yield centrallyunder the powerful strain of the fabric as usually applied, and that theincreased tension contemplated is generally required only in the centralportion of the fabric, where it is least obtained. In the frameconstructed as here described, on the other hand, while the bodilymovement of one or both end rails may be provided, if desired, if suchmovement be absent, the fabric may still be given the increased strainor central elongation required by means of the truss'rod and variablestrutsdescribed. In such rigidly-connected frame, indeed, it has beenfound that by connecting the rods E at or near the lateral extremitiesof the curves, the eifect of running out the struts will be to slightlycontract the frame laterally, and thus to materially increase its lengthand elongate the fabric. The use of bent-wood end rails combined withthe trusses shown, and dispensing with the usual metal4corner-fastenings, effects a reduction in the weight of the entirestructure, including wovenwire fabric, of about twenty-tive per cent., avery important advantage in the matter of transportation and of cost tothe remote purchaser.

It is obvious that whether the parts of the frame are movably or rigidlyjoined the eX- tended surface of attachment (shown at a a) favors a muchstronger connection than is possible in the usual construction. It isalso plain that in movin g the necessarily heavy structure through adoorway, or, generally, in the handling of the same by a single person,the operation willl be greatly facilitated by the round corners enablingit -to be readily rolled upon its edge. Such form ofthe corners,moreover, enables one to, wholly disregard any peculiar construction ofthe bedstead, since space is thereby afforded for any corner-projectionslikely in any case to be encountered in the bedstead.

By extending the truss-rods E from the lateral extremities ot' thecurves at the corners and providing the same with swivel-nuts, by whichthe frame may be laterally contracted, and by further giving an outwardcentral curve, in the first instance, to the end rails, the struts F maybe dispensed with, since the shortening of the rod E will in that caseevidently throw the end rails centrally' outward and elongate thefabric. I prefer to employ the struts, however, as being a more positiveand reliable means of obtaining the end sought.

I do not broadly claim the truss iu a bedframe, but only in thecombination defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described vmy invention, I claim` l. A bed-bottom framehaving the bent-wood end rails and straight side rails joined in thevertical planes of the side rails, substantially as described.

2. Combined with the side rails, B, the end rails, A, of bent Wood,secured to the upper edges ot' the side rails, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

3. A removable bed-bottom frame having end rails of beutwood, forminground corners, secured to the ripper edges of the side rails,substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, with the bent-WoodY end rails, ot' the rod E andstrut or struts F, arranged to iieX the end rails by pressure supportedby the side rails, substantially as de scribed.

5. In combination with an extensible fabric, C, the bed-bottom framehaving its ends ot' bent Wood and adjustably trussed to secure centralrelative elongation ot' the frame, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

6. The combination with a bed-bottom frame having bent-wood roundedcorners, ofthe transverse rods E, adapted to contract the framelaterally, and thereby to longitudinally extend the saine, substantiallyas described.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I atiix mysignature in presence ot' two witnesses.

ABEL H. FROST. Witnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, J Essa 00X, Jr.

